Fanfic / Moxxie Morningstar

Moxxie Morningstar is a Hellaverse AU fanfiction by An_undead_gamer_45.

Moxxie wasn't always an assassin with a loving wife, working for an annoying invasive boss and co-worker who constantly enjoys bullying him. Once, he was Prince Maximillian Evanthos Morningstar, the adopted son of Lucifer and Lilith Morningstar themselves and possibly the most powerful imp in Hell.

For reasons known only to him, Max gave all of that up and ran away about 10 years ago to live as a commoner, and while he does miss his family, he never had any intention of going back. The past, however, can't stay buried, and when certain Princess sees a commercial for I.M.P., that's when his new life comes crashing down.

See also Growing Up Impish, this story's primary inspiration.

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Tropes:

• Accidental Kidnapping: Chapter 8 shows that Asmodeus’s first meeting with Moxxie happened this way; A 5- to 6-year old Moxxie is playing hide and seek with Charlie while Asmodeus is in a meeting with Lucifer, and the little imp decides to hide in one of Asmodeus’s coat pockets, whereupon he falls asleep after eating some ”sleepy time chocolate” that Belphagor had given Ozzie as a gift. Asmodeus doesn’t notice his unwilling passenger until after he’s gotten home and is rather horrified when he finds out… And even more so when he realizes Moxxie’s identity based on his clothes. Moxxie doesn’t react much better when he wakes up, either, fleeing in a panic and wreaking havoc in his attempts to escape. Not to mention Lilith’s reaction when she finds out…
• Actually Pretty Funny: Moxxie tells Alastor to not try to eat Millie as the Radio Demon gives her an autograph while the rest of the group gets a tour of Charlie’s hotel, leading to this exchange:
  Alastor: Come now, what sort of animal do you take me for?
  Moxxie: A rabid deer?
  *beat*
  Alastor: *laughs heartily* Such wit! I never knew Charlie’s brother would have such a sharp tongue! *gleefully* Oh, I’m going to enjoy having you around!
• Adaptational Abomination: It's safe to say that in canon, infant Moxxie probably wasn't subjected to some cult's ritual that infused him with enough demonic power to rival Charlie.
• Adaptational Angst Downgrade: Moxxie, while he still has many problems with his family it’s still LEAGUES better than his cannon backstory. Having been raised a cruel mob boss, Crimson, who had Moxxie’s mother murdered in a effort to control him and tried to force his son in a Arranged Marriage when they reunited to get money off of it. Here it’s clear Moxxie actually had a pretty happy childhood, being raised by parents that loved each other and him and having a Cool Big Sis to keep him company with most of the drama happened when he reached adulthood. While, like Crimson, Lucifer wants to control every aspect of Moxxie’s life, there is no doubt he loves his adopted son and is doing it out of a genuine belief that it’s what’s best for him.
• Adaptational Badass: In canon, Moxxie is an imp with impressive skill with firearms, but he's still an imp, making him functionally the same as a living human with the exception of being fireproof. Here, he was subjected to a ritual at infancy that gives him powers similar to Overlords and Demon Royalty, including offensive magic and a slower rate of aging.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Retroactively for Lucifer. Here, he's a controlling father and a casual monster to those outside his circle of care, but he dearly loves his family. In canon, he's a goofball who only objects to Charlie's plans because he's scared she'll get hurt, but he never actually forbids her from trying, and the only people he hurts are those trying to hurt him or his daughter first. Justified, as Moxxie Morningstar was published several years before the release of Hazbin Hotel and the only sign of Lucifer was a portrait of him.
• Adopted into Royalty: Moxxie became a part of the Morningstar family after Lucifer came across his infant form in the midst of what seemed like a botched cult ritual, the king of Hell deciding to adopt him once he became aware of the imp's power.
• Affectionate Nickname: Lilith used to call Moxxie "My little possum" when he was a child, though adult Moxxie considers this more of an Embarrassing Nickname.
• Aluminum Christmas Trees: invoked Lucifer and Lilith shocked to discover that the one of Moxxie’s bedtime books is called Go the Fuck to Sleep. Go the Fuck to Sleep is, in fact, a very much real book. (Albeit not one you should read to children for bedtime)
• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Lucifer Morningstar intentionally flaunts the family's wealth when picking up Moxxie to punish his son for running away.
• Ambiguous Situation: When Moxxie meets his old personal servants Henry and Ellie again in chapter 7, they mention that they got to keep their jobs despite being blamed for his disappearance. Moxxie then nervously asks them where a third one called Charles is, to which Henry glares at him and says ”Take a wild guess.” Whether this means that the servant was simply fired or was actually killed by Lucifer is up in the air, though judging by how unsettled Moxxie is at this response, the latter is a rather strong possibility.
• And I Must Scream: Once I.M.P have arrived at the Sanctum of Sin, they notice that the ceiling mural in the foyer is whispering to them. Lucifer cheerfully explains that it comes from the artists sacrificing 13 sinners and trapping their ”essences” in the mural to ensure that they’d live forever in agony and fuel the creators’ madness. I.M.P (minus Moxxie, most likely because he’s used to it) are rightfully disturbed by this, and it serves as a reminder that Lucifer, for all of his silliness, is still The Devil and most powerful being in Hell.
• And the Rest: When the convoy have arrived at the Sanctum Of Sin, Lucifer turns out to have arranged for their arrival to be treated as bombastically as possible. A baphomet demon loudly declares the arrival of Lucifer and the long-lost prince… And then half-heartedly declares the presence of Moxxie’s friends, as well, and only after Lucifer prompts him to.
  Lucifer: Good enough, I suppose.
• Anger Born of Worry: Lilith and Moxxie’s reunion plays out like this - After confirming that it’s him, she pulls him into a Bear Hug that almost crushes him while crying Tears of Joy… And after confirming that he’s alright, she morphs into a more demonic form and royally chews him out for running away from home. Notably, while Moxxie is a bit on-edge around his father, he’s depicted as actually being flat-out scared of Lilith’s wrath.
  Lilith: Where in the seven rings have you been, young man?! Do you have any idea how long your father and I have been looking for you?! How much we sacrificed trying to bring you home?! I was worried sick about you! WHAT SORT OF MADNESS MADE YOU THINK THAT ABANDONING YOUR FAMILY WAS A GOOD IDEA?!
  Moxxie: *terrified* I-I-I’m sorry!
  Lilith: OH, YOU YOU ARE GOING TO BE SORRY, MAXIMILLIAN EVANTHOS MORNINGSTAR! I CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THE AMOUNT OF TROUBLE YOU ARE IN RIGHT-
• An Offer You Can't Refuse: Lucifer makes it clear after their catch-up talk that he’s bringing Moxxie back home so he can resume his role as Prince of Hell. When Moxxie protests against it on the basis that he prefers his current life, Lucifer wants to test that claim and makes his son an offer: Moxxie moves back to the palace for two months to reclaim his title as Prince, accepting all of the duties and responsibilities that come with it as well as certain conditions like not being allowed to leave the palace grounds without permission or a guard or skipping out on family outings, (And his friends and the Happy Hotel inhabitants also get to come along for the ride) and at the end of the two months, he’ll decide if he really is happier as a commoner or if he wants to resume his life as a prince. When Moxxie asks what happens if he breaks the rules or refuses the offer, Lucifer tells him in no uncertain terms that in that case, he’ll get dragged back by force and locked up in his room until he accepts his place in the world. In other words, Moxxie is returning to the palace whether he likes it or not; The offer is more of a matter of how long he’s going to stay there. And going by Lucifer’s inner monologue afterwards, he’s arranging for the answer to that question to be: ”Forever”.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: The bottom floor of the carriage that Lucifer takes I.M.P to the royal palace in is noted to have genuine hell-leather covering, a minibar in the wall, seats with both massage, heating and cooling functions… and cup holders. Amusingly enough, this description contrasts the top floor, which has Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick instead.
• Baby's First Words: Played for Laughs with Moxxie's first word being a swear word that he learned from a particularly foulmouthed member of the palace staff. Lilith is not pleased when she finds out.
• Backhanded Compliment: When Blitzo snarks to Lucifer that he’s ”not like most imps” after downing a shot of brandy that would knock out most high-level demons with no ill effects, Lucifer concedes the point by saying that Blitzo is rather successful for an imp, considering their low status in Hell. Blitzo isn’t sure what to make of this, since it is an insult wrapped in a compliment.
• Bait-and-Switch: Upon arriving at Moxxie’s room in the palace, the I.M.P members are stunned at the small size and modesty of it, as it only contains a TV, a sofa, a coffee table and a closet. Moxxie then reveals that the room is actually his sitting room and that the ”closet” is the door to his real room, revealing a bedroom that’s just as extravagant and luxurious as one would expect the Prince of Hell to have.
• Becoming the Mask: Initially, Lucifer and Lilith only take baby Moxxie in because they hope that the incredible power that the cult’s ritual infused him with will make him a useful ally or weapon when he grows up. (That, and killing a baby, even a potentially dangerous one, is just too distasteful even for Lucifer) But they soon grow to genuinely love and care for the child as if he was their own flesh and blood.
• Big Sister Worship: Moxxie absolutely adored Charlie when he was little, looking up to her as a Cool Big Sis and trusting her above almost anybody else. This actually comes in handy for Asmodeus in chapter 8; After a terrified child Moxxie causes chaos after accidentally following Asmodeus home, knocking out servants and tossing various pieces of furniture around, the Lord of Lust manages to get him to calm down by introducing himself as ”uncle Ozzie”, whom Charlie has told Moxxie about, and showing him a drawing that Charlie made of him and herself. Moxxie, who’s believed Asmodeus to be a monster up until this point (Though considering the size difference, Ozzie’s intimidating appearance and the fact that Moxxie is a small child here, it’s hard to blame him), comes to the conclusion that Asmodeus can’t be that bad if Charlie trusts him and calms down enough for Asmodeus to get a chance to bond with the little imp.
• Blow You Away: A flashback reveals that one of the ways Moxxie’s magic manifested when he was a baby was creating a tornado in his room when he was upset, sending his toys flying everywhere and even knocking out some of the servants. Lilith’s presence calmed him down enough to stop the magic, however.
• Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: The top floor of the enormous carriage that Lucifer uses to pick up I.M.P in is described as having a queen-sized bed, a kitchen, benches facing large windows for looking out over the city and a sunroof that can be opened... and transformed into a mounted gun. This is in contrast to the description of the bottom floor, which falls under Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking instead.
• Calling the Young Man Out: Lucifer forces Moxxie to come with him up to the balcony of the Hazbin Hotel for some ”catching up”… which consists mostly of the king passive-aggressively slinging guilt on his son regarding him running away and ”betraying" his loving family and his duty as the Prince of Hell.
  Moxxie: *annoyed* Did you bring me up here just so you could take me on a guilt-trip?
  Lucifer: No, not entirely. But we’ve been mourning you for over ten years now, so don’t expect me to give you a reprieve anytime soon. You brought this guilt on yourself.

  Moxxie: Great, just perfect.
• The Charmer: Part of Lucifer’s schtick as a Manipulative Bastard is that he can put on a very charming display and use it to get people to reveal anything that might be useful to him. Blitzo falls for it in chapter 7 and almost reveals his and Stolas’s illegal arrangement, but Moxxie stops him by "accidentally" spilling a drink on him and dragging him off to clean his shirt before he manages to say something incriminating.
• Coitus Interruptus: A throwaway line in chapter 7 reveals that Moxxie carved "Please Knock" on the door to his room after an incident where Charlie accidentally walked in on him getting it on with his then-girlfriend.
• Continuity Nod: After arriving at the palace, Lucifer brings up the rumors he’s heard about Stolas’s infidelity with an imp (unaware that Blitzo is that imp) and specifically talks about the events of OZZIE’S.
• Cool and Unusual Punishment: In a flashback to Moxxie’s childhood, the royal family is about to attend an opera, but the kids have made it difficult by trying to run away and hide since Charlie finds it dreadfully boring and scared Moxxie with tales of how awful it is. (The opera night is the first time the little imp is allowed to leave the palace grounds, too) Since they caused trouble, Lucifer and Lilith decide to punish them by… forcing them to wear frilly, itchy, fancy clothes with lots of bows and laces. Cue Anything but That! reaction from Moxxie and a Big "NO!" from both kids.
• Cool Uncle: Asmodeus acts as one to Moxxie and Charlie, though he develops a stronger bond with Moxxie due to their unorthodox first meeting.
• Country Matters: Moxxie’s first word is revealed to be this. He turns out to have learned it from a particularly foul-mouthed gardener who used to work at around the same time as the baby was taken on strolls in the royal gardens.
  • In chapter 7, Lucifer outright calls Stella this when discussing Stolas’s infidelity, as he considers her hateful personality to be more than enough of a reason to want to cheat on her.
• Cuteness Proximity: Asmodeus is immediately taken in by Moxxie’s adorableness when he finds the little imp sleeping in his coat pocket in chapter 8, and he needs to keep himself from squeeing when Moxxie stretches like a cat upon waking up.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Moxxie had this as a baby. Sure, the Morningstars took him in and loved him as their own, but he still spent the earliest parts of his life with the cult, who were NOT gentle with him.
  Maximillian didn’t like it when his parents were sad and fighting, it reminded him too much of the strange people who used to do all sorts of scary and painful things to him.
• Deal with the Devil: Lucifer and Moxxie’s ”agreement”, naturally, takes this form. They even seal the deal with a magical contract-sealing handshake… with Moxxie noting that he still hates the tingling sensation of it and Lucifer telling him that it’s just how a good demon deal is done.
• Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Prince of Hell with unfathomable infernal powers or not, Moxxie dryly calling Alastor ”a rabid deer” upon being asked what kind of animal he takes him for is still rather ballsy. Alastor finds the response hilarious and notes that he likes the little imp’s attitude.
• Divine Date: Because Moxxie is a member of Hell's ruling family with untold infernal powers to match, his marriage to Millie is an example of this.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Lilith, in full Mama Bear mode, brutally kills a gardener in chapter 3 just for accidentally teaching Moxxie to say a vulgar swear as his first word.
• Distinguishing Mark: Moxxie has one of these on his chest, an unknown symbol of the cult that had performed a ritual upon him, which is what the Morningstar family uses to check Moxxie's true identity.
• Do Not Call Me "Paul": Even after his true identity is revealed, Moxxie vehemently refuses to be called Maximillian or any related pet names, even by his family.
• Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: Referenced. When it sinks in that Lucifer might not be happy to hear how he's been treating his son, Blitzo tries to schmooze up to Moxxie so he won't tell his father. Moxxie assures him that not only is he not petty enough to have them killed over such slights, if he really was that bothered by Blitzo and Loona's bullying of him, he wouldn't need his Dad's help.
• Dragged by the Collar: In chapter 2, Moxxie lunges for Charlie’s cell phone in order to prevent her from calling Lucifer and informing him of his location, only for Blitzo to snag him by the shirt collar and drag him into the conference room for a ”company meeting” about Moxxie being Lucifer’s son.
• Dramatic Drop:
  • A Black Comedy example happens in the first chapter. When Lilith asks why Lucifer would take in a random baby imp he found, he beckons her to touch baby Moxxie to see for herself. The rush of power she feels startles her so much that she drops... the baby. Luckily, Lucifer has quick reflexes and catches Moxxie before he gets hurt.
  • When Moxxie returns to the I.M.P lobby after going down into the basement to photocopy some documents (After ripping them in half earlier due to a My Significance Sense Is Tingling moment) in chapter 2, he ends up dropping the papers in shock when he sees Charlie waiting for him there, realizing that his cover has been blown.
• The Dreaded: Naturally, Lucifer is this, being the ruler and the top demon of Hell. The only people that aren't even remotely scared of him are his wife and children. Millie is especially terrified of him, not knowing how her father-in-law would react to his son getting eloped to a regular country imp.
• Even Evil Has Standards: The literal Devil he may be, but when Lucifer finds a crying baby Moxxie at the altar of a cult, covered in blood and viscera and surrounded by corpses, he finds himself unable to simply leave the distressed baby imp there. And when he touches Moxxie and discovers the unspeakable powers that the cult’s ritual has imbued him with, he at first moves in to kill him to prevent him from becoming a threat later in life, but he ultimately decides against it. Mainly (Or, originally, at any rate) because he figures that such power could serve him well, but also because even he finds the act of killing a defenseless baby to be in bad taste, regardless of how dangerous it’d prove to be in the future.
  • A Played for Laughs example is that Lucifer apparently considers being a lawyer as more evil than being a Professional Killer.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Husk may be a drunken sinner living in Hell, but he still refuses to serve alcohol to people whom he suspects are underaged, as seen when he asks Loona how old she is after she asks him for the strongest stuff he can offer.
  • Lucifer is rather foulmouthed, but in a flashback to Moxxie’s first word, he points out to Lilith that he’d never swear in front of his young children and certainly not use that word (Not that it stops him from using it later in life), and dares her to mention one time when he cursed in front of the kids. Lilith concedes the point, which leads them on a search for where the baby imp would’ve learned such a foul word.
• Evil Lawyer Joke: When Moxxie informs him of his current profession as an assassin specializing in firearms, Lucifer snarks that it’s at least a better job than being a lawyer. Apparently, not even the Devil himself approves of that occupation.
• Failed a Spot Check: In a flashback to Moxxie’s first night at the opera, child Moxxie has gone into hiding in a guest room to get out of going there since Charlie scared him with stories about how horrible and boring it is. He hides under the bed... and fails to notice that his tail is still sticking out from under it. So when Lucifer enters the room (Having been tipped off by Charlie nervously glancing at the guest room’s door), he has little trouble finding the impling, though not before trolling him by stalking up to the bed (and gleefully noticing the tail twitching nervously) and pretending not to see anything before grabbing him.
• Family of Choice: It's implied that the Seven Deadly Sins are more genuine friends to one another outside of politics, Mammon having created the Opera Theater as a getaway for them to relax and Beelzebub being Charlie and Moxxie's "auntie."
• Fantastic Racism: In chapter 6, Lucifer is noted to not have let the other Overlords know about him adopting Moxxie because he’s not sure how they’ll react to an imp being the adopted Prince of Hell - Not for his own sake since he can brush it off, but for Moxxie’s sake. His worries aren’t completely unfounded, either: As the royal family arrives at the opera, the crowd starts gossiping to each other as soon as they see Moxxie accompanying the royal family - Most of them whisper about him being Charlie’s personal servant or pet since they ”know how imps are”. While Moxxie at this point doesn’t know what an imp is, he still understands that they’re talking about him, which makes him uncomfortable and leads to him seeking comfort from Lilith.
• Flashback Episode: Several chapters are dedicated to exploring Moxxie’s childhood and what growing up with the royal family was like. So far, there’s been flashbacks to Moxxie’s first word, his first time seeing an opera and his first time meeting Asmodeus.
• Friend to All Children: Asmodeus is noted in this story to absolutely adore children and will always dote on any he comes across. However, since he prefers the bachelor lifestyle, he’d rather be a Cool Uncle than a parent since, in his eyes, the former is ”all of the fun of being a parent with none of the responsibility”.
• Gilligan Cut: In chapter 3, when searching for the source to baby Moxxie learning a vulgar word, Lucifer advises that they look through the children’s books for clues.
  Lilith: I highly doubt that there’d be much swearing in children’s books.
  *cut to*
  Lilith: I can’t believe how much swearing there is in children’s books these days!
• The Glomp: Niffty’s reaction to seeing Moxxie is to be smitten with him immediately, and she launches herself towards him as soon as she reaches the bottom of the stairs. Millie intercepts her by literally punching her out of the air.
• Handshake Refusal:
  • In chapter 5, Moxxie refuses to shake Alastor's hand in favor of giving Charlie a flat look of disapproval when he realizes that he's the sponsor she was talking about earlier.
  • In chapter 7, Blitzo extends his hand towards Lilith upon meeting her for the first time, only to sheepishly pull it back under her withering, disapproving stare. Amusingly enough, both Moxxie and Lilith are described as looking at the outstretched hand they refuse to shake "like it was a dead fish."
• Harmful to Minors: Lucifer tries keeping Asmodeus from meeting a young Maximillian because he did a "Jumping Out of a Cake dressed as a showgirl" routine at Charlie's birthday. While Lucifer thought it was funny, Lilith was less amused and put Lucifer in the doghouse for a month over it.
• Hate at First Sight: Millie and Niffty get off on the wrong foot immediately due to Niffty’s immediate attraction to Moxxie. They proceed to bicker or outright brawl with each other, with Charlie and Vaggie futilely trying to keep them away from each other and Blitzo and Angel Dust placing bets on the side on who will win.
• I Do Not Like Green Eggs and Ham: When he was a child, Moxxie did not want to attend the opera after hearing stories from Charlie about how dull and boring it was. Of course, when he actually attends it with his family, he becomes deeply captivated and moved by the experience, which kickstarts his love of theatre, music and opera.
• I Heard That: When Lucifer refuses to let Asmodeus see Moxxie in chapter 8 after Lilith refused to share a bed with him for a month in the wake of ”the birthday cake incident”, the King of Lust, who wants to be the kids’ Cool Uncle, is not pleased:
  Asmodeus: *grumbling* Talk about a whipped husband.

  Lucifer: I heard that.
• Immortality Begins at Twenty: When Moxxie reveals that he's 190 years old, Blitzo points out that he looks like he's only in his twenties. Moxxie explains that he stopped aging after he turned 20, just like Charlie did, but not even his father's top doctors and researchers could figure out why.
• I'm Standing Right Here: In chapter 7, I.M.P are quite stunned to see Moxxie’s room supposedly being so small and modest in comparison to how lavish and decadent the rest of the palace is, with Loona openly wondering if Lucifer just didn’t care enough to spend more cash on making sure that he got a bigger room. The King of Hell then coughs to remind her that he’s still present. (The room turns out to just be Moxxie’s sitting room anyway)
• Improvised Weapon: As child Moxxie runs from Asmodeus in a panic, believing him to be a monster after he accidentally finds himself in the Lord of Lust’s manor in chapter 8, he uses magic to toss anything from vases to paintings at him to keep him away. He’s rather ashamed of himself after he’s calmed down and finds out that Asmodeus is his ”uncle” and won’t hurt him, though Asmodeus reassures him that he’s not upset about it.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: After Lucifer arrives at the Happy Hotel and leads Moxxie away to speak with him in private, Loona asks Husk for the strongest booze he has to cope with the insanity of her dorky coworker being revealed to be the Prince of Hell.
• Innocent Inaccurate: In chapter 8, child Moxxie accidentally ends up in Asmodeus’s home after hiding in his coat pocket during a game of hide and seek and falling asleep there. As he observes the new room he finds himself in, he notes that there are ”deflated rubber balloons” scattered all over the floor and ”multicolored rubber tubes” on his dresser. Since this is the private room of the Demon King of Lust, it’s pretty obvious that the ”balloons” are actually condoms and the ”tubes” are dildos.
• Instantly Proven Wrong:
  • When Moxxie and Lucifer’s talk is finished in chapter 5, they hear noise and calamity from inside of the hotel. Moxxie nervously acknowledges that some of his coworkers have a bit of a temper, to which Lucifer tries to reassure him that despite all appearances to the contrary, they’re probably getting along splendidly with the hotel staff. Cue Millie shouting ”I’LL CUT YOU, BITCH!” and more furniture being broken.
  Lucifer: But then again, I could be wrong.
  • After Asmodeus has explained how his Accidental Kidnapping of Moxxie happened in chapter 8, Lilith scolds her son for how careless he was and how dangerous it could've been for him. Asmodeus tries to get her to let Moxxie off the hook by stating that the child was just having fun and that nobody got hurt... just as the doors open and reveal one of Ozzie's succubus servants on a stretcher, her being one of the many servants who were knocked unconscious by a burst of magic from Moxxie when the terrified little imp tried to flee the manor earlier. Asmodeus immediately tries to backpedal after Lilith glares at him, amending his statement to "nobody important got hurt."
• Ironic Echo: When Lilith scolds Lucifer for encouraging their children to lie to them after Lucifer is impressed with child Moxxie pulling an I Surrender, Suckers, Lucifer brushes it off with a "Never too young to start early!", as deception is an important skill to learn when dealing with politics in Hell. Lilith throws the line back at him later when she starts talking about just how difficult it is to be a ruler of Hell and Lucifer tries to get her to stop since it's making the kids nervous.
• I Surrender, Suckers: When child Moxxie is caught by Lucifer after trying to get out of going to the opera, Lucifer sternly tells him that he’s going whether he likes it or not and to just give up. Moxxie slumps in defeat, which makes Lucifer relax and lose his concentration… and that’s when the little imp, who was being dangled by the tail, uses this brief lapse to twist his tail out of his father’s grip, landing on the floor and trying to scurry away to a new hiding spot. (He doesn’t get very far, though, because Lilith is standing right outside the door to the room and nonchalantly snatches him up) Lucifer is impressed by his son’s show of trickery, even if it was at his expense, while Lilith tells him off for encouraging their kids to lie to them.
• King Incognito: More like "Prince Incognito" in Moxxie's case, the imp having changed his name and adopted a whole new identity to get away from his family for unknown reasons.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Between the time of chapters 2 and 4 being released, Vivziepop started releasing updated character designs for the Hazbin Hotel cast on her Twitter. The fic acknowledges this by way of some meta humor: In chapter 4, Blitzo asks Charlie why she’s suddenly wearing a different suit from the one she wore when she first arrived at the I.M.P offices, only for Moxxie to tell him that she’s always looked like that… while looking intensely at ”something” just behind his boss. And at the hotel, Moxxie notices a merchandise stand and points out that the sign says ”Charlie Magnes” (Her family name in the pilot) instead of Morningstar, to which Alastor responds that it’s a typo and the sign is supposed to read ”Charlie Magnets”. (As in, fridge magnets)
• Love at First Sight: Niffty becomes very excited to hear that Charlie has a brother and, to Millie’s anger, is more than happy when she sees Moxxie.
• Maiden Aunt: Beelzebub tends to spoil Charlie with gifts and sweets to the point where Lucifer and Lilith actively try avoiding her. Lilith surmises that she really wants to be a mother and lives that fantasy vicariously through them.
• Mama Bear: Lilith, once she's found herself Becoming the Mask, becomes very protective of Moxxie. When the little imp approaches her and asks to be carried as they enter the opera house in chapter 6, she realizes that it's because the crowd is gossiping about him, leaving him distressed and seeking comfort; She responds by immediately scooping him up in her arms, hugging him close and glaring daggers at the nosy commoners.
• Manipulative Bastard: Moxxie has a serious conversation with Blitzo in chapter 7 about one having to be very careful when speaking to Lucifer, since he’s mastered the art of manipulation and can suss out a lot of info about who he’s talking to based on even a seemingly innocent conversation. This can also be seen in his general demeanor towards Moxxie where he continuously attempts to guilt-trip him for running away from home, and a standout example of this can be found in chapter 7; When he picks up I.M.P to take them to the palace, he actually brings Moxxie’s old personal servants along just to rub it in Moxxie’s face that they were partially blamed for his disappearance (With another servant being implied to either have been fired or outright killed over it), which means that they’re not particularly happy to see him again.
• Mark of the Supernatural: The scar on Moxxie's chest: While it isn't known what the symbol means, it's apparent that it's part of the reason he has power to rival that of his adopted sister.
• Mass "Oh, Crap!": Almost everyone at the hotel reacts with fear when they sense that Lucifer is about to walk through the door. Even confident snarkers like Loona and Angel Dust find themselves pressing up against a wall to stay as far away from the Devil as possible.
• Mayfly–December Romance: Moxxie and Millie. The latter is implied to be in her mid-to-late twenties, while the former is over ONE-HUNDRED AND NINETY.
• Missing Child: How the Morningstars regarded Moxxie during his initial disappearance, although they figure out very quickly that he actually ran away from home when they find him again.
• Mistaken Identity: When Moxxie introduces I.M.P to Lilith, he refers to them as ”my boss Blitzo, his daughter Loona and my girlfriend Millie.” Since both Blitzo and Millie are imps, Lilith naturally comes to the conclusion that it’s Millie who is Blitzo’s daughter and Loona that Moxxie is dating. The hellhound is rather squicked out when she realizes this, though the misunderstanding is cleared up very quickly.
• Momma's Boy: Moxxie towards Lilith, sort of a contrast to Charlie being a Daddy's girl to Lucifer.
• My Beloved Smother: Lilith was this to Moxxie, calling him "My little possum" and being very protective of him. She took his disappearance the hardest and Moxxie is worried about seeing her again after ten years.
  • Beelzebub would like to be this, but for now she'll settle for spoiling her niece and nephew.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Downplayed; In chapter 3, baby Moxxie susses out that he must’ve done something to disappoint Lucifer and Lilith when he thinks of how strangely they reacted to the new word he’d learned. It makes him so uncomfortable (Because adults being sad and angry reminds him of his time with the cult) that he tries to cheer them up by calling them ”Dada” and ”Mama” instead.
• My Significance Sense Is Tingling: The whole plot is kicked off by Lucifer sensing a surge of power coming from the Wrath ring and going there to investigate, finding the remains of an imp cult having performed a ritual that left infant Moxxie with infernal powers.
  • When Charlie has discovered her missing little brother’s whereabouts, Moxxie senses that trouble is on its way, because he’s suddenly filled with such a sense of dread that he tears several important documents in half without thinking.
• Noodle Incident: Two are mentioned in quick succession in chapter 4:
  • Apparently, Moxxie gained his fear of theme park mascots on his 13th birthday. He refuses to talk about why.
  • Moxxie also has a Sitcom Arch-Nemesis relationship with Razzle and Dazzle, bringing up a prank they pulled on him involving ”locusts and processed cheese” which left him having to spend a week ”getting the smell out.”
• Not Helping Your Case: In chapter 3, Lilith confronts Lucifer on his foul mouth after Moxxie’s first word turns out to be a particularly vulgar swear. Lucifer defends himself by claiming that he’d never use a word like that… And proceeds to list all of the other swears he uses on a regular basis, which only makes Lilith glare at him even more. (He’s innocent)
  Lucifer: And I’m just digging myself deeper, aren’t I?
• Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Discussed. After Moxxie reveals his backstory, lineage and magical powers to the rest of I.M.P, Loona groans that things probably aren’t going to go back to normal ever again. Moxxie confirms that, no, they won’t.
• Not So Stoic: Lucifer spends a good chunk of his reunion with Moxxie passive-aggressively calling him out on escaping his duty by running away from home, all with the same smile on his face. But after they’ve come to an agreement on how to decide on Moxxie’s future, he pulls his adopted son into a gentle but tight hug, crying Tears of Joy out of relief that he’s still alive and not dead as previously thought.
  Lucifer: By the way, don’t tell anyone that I was crying. Got it?
  Moxxie: Duly noted, Father.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Moxxie's reaction when Charlie shows up at I.M.P.'s office and his coworkers' reactions when they realize that Lucifer will be stopping by to see his son.
  • Twofer for Moxxie in chapter 7:
    • After coming down from the upper floor of the carriage, he notices a peculiar smirk on Lucifer's face. He immediately gets bad vibes from it and asks just what his father is planning. (A bombastic arrival at the palace just to embarrass and shame him some more, that’s what)
    • When he realizes just how pissed Lilith is at him for running away from home after reuniting with her, he reacts with terror and tries to worm out of her grip, to no avail.
  • In chapter 8, Asmodeus reacts like this when he realizes that he's not only accidentally kidnapped a child imp, but that the imp in question is the Morningstar family's adopted son.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • When Charlie, who is a Princess Classic and All-Loving Hero, finds out in chapter 2 that her missing little brother Moxxie is alive and not dead as previously thought, she reacts by downing an entire bottle of whisky in one swig to calm her overjoyed nerves (And letting loose a loud, unladylike belch afterwards) and then orders Razzle and Dazzle to drive her to the I.M.P offices as fast as they can, not caring about breaking any traffic laws or even when they run someone over. Everyone present, even Alastor, is shocked at seeing her behave like this.
  • Blitzo is about as far from the very picture of sensitivity as you can get, and he’s usually rather self-centered, childish and belligerent and invades the M&M’s privacy every opportunity he gets. But when he sees just how overwhelmed and upset Moxxie is about being back at the palace and how drained he is from all of Lucifer’s guilt-tripping in chapter 7, the boss imp decides to actually respect his sharpshooter’s need for some space, resulting in him and Loona quietly leaving Moxxie’s bedroom to let him and Millie be alone for a while.
• Orphaned Punchline: In chapter 7, Millie and Loona are left alone with Lucifer at the carriage’s bottom floor while Moxxie goes upstairs with Blitzo, cleaning him off (After ”accidentally” spilling brandy on him to keep him from revealing their access to Stolas’s grimoire) and warning him of Lucifer’s manipulative personality. When Moxxie comes down the stairs after the talk, he finds Millie telling stories of her Wrathian childhood to the king:
  Millie: … And then ah said ta him: ”Well, now yer a shithead in more ways than one!” And then ah cut his throat!
• Please Put Some Clothes On: After having a talk with Blitzo on the upper floor of the carriage regarding Lucifer, Moxxie is momentarily distracted by Lucifer yelling for him. So when his attention goes back to Blitzo, he discovers that his boss has gone from half-naked (From Moxxie spilling his drink on him and then washing his shirt) to fully naked:
  Blitzo: It’s not too late to change your mind about fucking me, you know. I bet I could get you off in ten seconds, no problem.
  Moxxie: PUT YOUR DAMN CLOTHES ON!
• Power Incontinence: Both Charlie and Moxxie are mentioned to have experienced this growing up before truly coming into their magic powers. But Moxxie is noted to have had it the worst due to the sheer power the cult’s ritual forced upon him, resulting in unpredictable outbursts of raw magic whenever he was upset because he was too young to control it properly.
• Psychosomatic Superpower Outage: As Blitzo is dragging him into the conference room for a "company meeting" about The Reveal of his King Incognito status in chapter 2, Moxxie tries to use magic to summon Charlie's phone to himself to prevent her from calling Lucifer and telling him about his whereabouts. Unfortunately for him, his emotions going haywire from the shock of having been found out prevents his powers from working properly, much to his distress.
• Rags to Royalty: Millie ends up with the Cinderella version of this trope, becoming a princess by being married to Moxxie. Downplayed in that she's only a princess in name and isn't technically a member of royalty since it was never officiated by Hell's aristocracy.
• Really Royalty Reveal: The entire plot of the fic centers around Moxxie being revealed to be the adopted son of Lucifer, thus making him the Prince of Hell.
• Really 700 Years Old: While Moxxie looks to be around the same age as Millie, he's actually around 190 years old, only a little younger than Charlie.
• Refused Reunion: Moxxie's response to when Charlie finds him ten years after he disappeared:
  Charlie: IT’S YOU! IT’S YOU, IT’S YOU, IT’S REALLY YOU!!!
  Moxxie: NO! NO! NO! I’M NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM, PUT ME DOWN NOW! PLEASE!
• Revealing Hug: Charlie pulls Moxxie and Lucifer into a Group Hug after finding out about her brother and father’s deal… And without either Moxxie (Since him being sandwiched right between them crushes him and leaves him gasping for air) or Charlie (Since she’s so happy to have the family finally reunited again) noticing, Lucifer’s smile suddenly turns obsessive, his inner monologue revealing that he has every intention of having his son resume his role as a future ruler of Hell and remain in the palace indefinitely.
• Right in Front of Me: After Blitzo accidentally lets it slip to Lucifer that he knows Stolas, Moxxie saves him by claiming that he used to work for the Goetian prince. Lucifer seems to fall for it, but he mentions the rumors circulating about Stolas having an affair with an imp... When Blitzo is indeed the imp in question. Moxxie and Blitzo can only glance at each other nervously in response.
• The Runaway: Moxxie is this, having fled from home almost eleven years prior in order to escape from his responsibilities as a prince.
• Secret Relationship: Downplayed in that Moxxie is only hiding his marriage to Millie from his family; As far as they know, the country imp is merely his girlfriend.
• Shout-Out:
  • The altar that Lucifer finds a baby Mox is surrounded by the bodies of three dead Imps, one in military clothing that imploded, another dressed in a black suit and fedora who's flesh had melted off their bones, and finally what appears to be the leader with ceremonial garb and a head that exploded.
  • Moxxie had three personal servants named Henry, Ellie, and Charles.
  • The artist behind the ceiling mural are C. Wonders (one of the writers behind Growing Up Impish) and Chey Acker. (creator of the popular Francisco OC) A more direct reference is made to Acker’s OCs earlier when Lucifer expresses confession on why the Goetia are so fixated on Stolas’ affair when Duke Leopold had a relationship with a human up until his “death”.
  • The lullaby that Moxxie and Lilith sing together is a slight variation of Come Little Children.
• Something Only They Would Say: Moxxie proves his identity to Lilith in chapter 7 by singing the lullaby she used to sing to him when he was a baby.
• Squee:
  • Charlie reacts like this when Moxxie introduces Millie as his girlfriend, diving over the table to greet her and pinching and pulling her cheeks while gushing about how cute she is.
  • Millie reacts with utter glee at meeting Alastor since she's a fan of his radio show, and she even asks him for an autograph.
  • Both Blitzo and Millie are awestruck with joy in chapter 7 when seeing the enormous horse-drawn carriage that Lucifer arrives in to escort them to the royal palace with.
• Stunned Silence: In contrast to Blitzo and Mille’s excited reactions, Loona just finds herself dumbstruck and with her mouth hanging open in shock when she sees the carriage that Lucifer arrives in to pick up I.M.P with.
• Sweet Tooth: Moxxie is noted to have had a massive one when he was a child. This lands him in some trouble in chapter 8; When he hides from Charlie in Asmodeus’s coat pocket, he finds a chocolate bar in there that he immediately scarfs down… Except that it wasn’t a normal chocolate bar, but a ”sleepy time” chocolate bar courtesy of Belphagor, which makes him fall asleep. The end result is that he doesn’t notice when Asmodeus comes by to get his coat, which leads to the King Of Lust accidentally bringing him home.
• Tempting Fate:
  • Despite having a My Significance Sense Is Tingling moment in chapter 2, Moxxie decides to try and ignore it, reasoning that he’s being paranoid and that it’s going to be just a normal, nice day. Boy, is he ever wrong.
  • During Moxxie’s first night at the opera, Lucifer hears that Beelzebub is also attending and shoos away his family in order to keep her from seeing Moxxie since he’s hesitant of how the other princes of Hell will react to the little imp. (And if nothing else, he’s worried that his son will have gained several pounds by the end of the night if Beelzebub sees him and starts spoiling him) He notes to himself that the Lord Of Gluttony probably just wants to do general small talk… Only for the first thing out of her mouth being to ask him why he hadn’t informed her that he had a son.
• That Man Is Dead: Moxxie’s vehement insistence on not being called Prince, Maximillian or any related pet names and the sheer amount of effort he put in to ensure that he couldn't be found after running away from home suggests that this trope is in play, though the reason why is yet to be explained.
• That Wasn't a Request: After Lucifer shows up at the hotel and confirms that Moxxie is indeed the missing prince Maximilian, he asks Moxxie to join him on a walk for a little chat. When Moxxie asks why they can’t just speak in the foyer, Lucifer harshly repeats himself to make it crystal-clear that Moxxie will follow him for a private talk. The imp therefore has no choice but to reluctantly comply.
• This Is Gonna Suck: This is Moxxie's reaction as he fails to prevent Charlie from contacting Lucifer after his cover has been blown; He can only glumly note to himself that "[his] life is over" as Blitzo drags him into their conference room to interrogate him on his true identity.
  • In a more resigned and drained fashion, this is also his reaction once he and the rest of I.M.P have arrived at the Sanctum Of Sin for their stay as per his and Lucifer's agreement.
  This is going to be a long couple of months.
• Travel Cool: In chapter 7, Lucifer picks up I.M.P and takes them to the Sanctum Of Sin in a hell horse-drawn carriage the size of a double-decker bus. The bottom floor has everything from a minibar in the wall to an advanced surround sound system, and the top floor houses what is essentially a small luxury apartment complete with a kitchen. Blitzo and Millie think it’s awesome, but Moxxie just finds it tacky and embarrassing.
• Troll: Lucifer is shown to enjoy riling people up and pitting them against each other for a cheap laugh. In particular, he feeds Alastor and Vox’s rivalry because he loves watching the chaos that unfolds when the two come to blows.
• Tyke Bomb: The initial reason Lucifer took Moxxie in was because he figured that a demon with such unfathomable power, with the right guidance, could be a potentially useful ally and weapon in the future. Though it doesn’t take long for him and Lilith to grow to genuinely love and cherish the little imp.
• Uptown Girl: Being married to Moxxie, adopted son of the Morningstars and a prince of Hell, causes Millie to fit into this archetype as a rough-and-tumble country girl.
• Voice of the Legion: This appears to be a bit of a Morningstar family trait. It’s often used in combination with a Nightmare Face and a subtle release of magic to mark the seriousness of somebody’s words and as a show of power and/or anger. Moxxie can do it, too, due to the powers that the cult’s ritual bestowed upon him.
• Willfully Weak: In order to prove to I.M.P that he really is the Prince of Hell, Moxxie uses magic to summon a couple of drinking glasses and a pitcher of water to himself. When Millie asks why he's never demonstrated these powers before despite how useful they'd be, Moxxie responds that, since most imps can't use magic, an imp running around casting spells left and right would raise a lot of eyebrows and alert Lucifer and Lilith to his whereabouts.
• Would Hurt a Child: The strange cult that performed the ritual on Moxxie evidently had no issues subjecting the infant to pain, having branded him with their symbol on the day he was born and doing more "scary and painful things" to him afterwards.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Played With. When Lucifer discovers baby Moxxie at the site, he finds himself unable to just leave the little thing there. Then, when he touches Moxxie to pick him up, he feels the unfathomable powers that flow within him and at first considers killing him to prevent him from becoming a threat. But he can't bring himself to do it and adopts the imp instead.

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